Columbus city officials respond to speeding complaints after truck crashes into home

2015-11-18T23:27:26Z2017-01-02T14:02:40Z

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) -

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Columbus city officials are responding to neighborhood speeding complaints that residents say have gone unanswered for years.

A Columbus man is repairing $35,000 worth of damage to his home after he says a speeding truck crashed into his garage and killed his neighbor’s cat. The accident was caught on his security cameras.

“Speeding is a major issue on this road. That’s something we have been asking the city for a long time is some speed bumps, speed tables, some officers to patrol,” says Carl Olson, who lives on Old Dominion Road.

The city of Columbus Traffic Engineering Department has complaints on file dating back to 2009, but Department Manager Walter Dorsey says they responded to every complaint.

“We have gotten requests over the years on several occasions to look into the installation of speed tables in that neighborhood," Dorsey said. "Our studies concluded there was not sufficient speeds throughout the neighborhood to warrant the installation of speed tables."

Since the speed limit on Old Dominion is 30 miles per hour, speed tables would only be considered if 85 percent of the speeding was 40 miles per hour or greater. The speed percentage is a nationally-accepted standard for setting speed limits, according to Dorsey.

Dorsey says studies were conducted in 2009, 2010 and 2012, so the only thing that he can do now is assess any information since the last study to see if there has been an increase in speed related crashes or if this was an isolated incident.

Despite the conclusion of the city’s speeding studies, Olson says he was told that there wasn’t enough money to install speeding tables, something the city says is true.

“For the last two years and the current budget year there have been no funds designated for speed tables in our budget to have them installed,” says Dorsey.

With no resolution in the near future, parents in the neighborhood remained concerned for the safety of their children playing at the park across the street from Olson’s home.

“How much money is it going to be when a kid gets run over out here trying to play at the park and you didn’t want to spend money on a speed table and now someone’s kid is dead?” asked Olson.

Dorsey says other forms of speed enforcement were recommended to city officials like increased police patrol, speed radar trailers and more speed limit signs.

Youngstown State University student Albert Maruna was caught red-handed and arrested this week after he allegedly attempted to have sex with a 15-year-old boy, who turned out to be an undercover officer.

Youngstown State University student Albert Maruna was caught red-handed and arrested this week after he allegedly attempted to have sex with a 15-year-old boy, who turned out to be an undercover officer.